I'm writing this from my own desk chair, looking at the comfortingly familiar surroundings of my home office. Yes, I'm finally home from the 2008 Olympic equestrian events in Hong Kong.

The journey encompassed a 15-hour departure-flight delay due to Typhoon Nuri -- Hong Kong's worst in nearly a decade, and scoring a direct hit on the city -- a long flight that crossed the international date line, thereby rendering me incapable of knowing what day it was or how long I'd been in the air; the inevitable missed connection; some nail-biting moments at the U.S. Airways gate during which I wasn't sure whether I'd get on the next available flight; and several more cramped hours in the air before a mid-evening landing on the East Coast. It was, no exaggeration, a long day's journey into night.

I've been logging 10+ hours of sleep a night since I've been home, and probably will continue to do so for a few more days until I've erased the sleep deficit. But I wanted to write one last blog entry while the sights, smells, and events of this incredible experience are still fresh.

Attending an Olympic Games is an extraordinary immersion in international culture, not only of the host nation but also of the many participating countries. You'll meet people from all over the world and get the chance to compare notes, to learn a bit about one another's world views, and to gain new perspectives on how you and your own nation are regarded by others, and why. By traveling halfway around the world, I got to know myself better. Curious but true. As a fan of equestrian sport, attending an Olympics is a chance to see the very best that each country has to offer.

An Olympic Games is not just another international competition, and the participants know it. Competing not just for oneself but as a representative of one's country adds an entirely new dimension and significance, and it shows. Watching with a critical eye, one soon perceives that not all nations field the same caliber of athlete. Riders from the top countries generally exhibit an attention to detail and a precision that are lacking in many from nations that tend not to make the leader boards. And although there is no denying the fact that competing at the Olympic level takes money, money alone can't buy medals. Just ask the jumper riders from Saudi Arabia, to name just one example. Most of all, watching the equestrian competition in Hong Kong, I had a sense of continued amazement that horses do for us all of what they do.

At this level of competition, horses are asked to remain relaxed, confident, focused, and to perform at their athletic peak in the middle of the night while handling grueling journeys, strange surroundings, noisy and restless crowds, marching bands, gigantic jumbotron images, elaborate decorations, TV cameras, and an "electric" atmosphere that no garden-variety horse show can equal. Let me tell you, I'm astonished that those horses went into that arena at all, much less performed at the levels they did. The horses showed a willingness and a generosity of spirit that we as riders can only strive to emulate. In the end, when all the fanfare is stripped away, it's still all about the wonderful partnership that humans can have with horses. To see some partnerships crescendo in the glare of the Olympic spotlight is not a memory that will soon fade.

I feel privileged to have been in attendance. If you get the opportunity to attend an Olympic Games, I'd urge you to go. It'll be an experience you will never forget.